the people whether, with these signs of apparent prosperity the restored remnant should continue to observe the days of national sorrow and fasting which had been instituted in commemoration of the destruction of the Temple, and the desolation of the land at the commencement of the seventy years captivity.
The initiative in bringing this point to an issue was taken by the inhabitants of Bethel, who sent a deputation of two of their prominent citizens, " with his men "[1] (i.e., attendants or retainers of Regem-melech he being probably a man of importance), " to entreat the favour of Jehovah, and to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the propliets, saying, Should I (or, Shall I continue to ) weep in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done these so many years? "
One or two further explanatory notes are necessary on these first verses before we can proceed.
(i) It will be noticed that, together with the Revised Version, and almost all modern scholars, we discard the rendering given of the first line of the 2nd verse in the Authorised Version, namely, " When they sent unto the House of God" Now, Bethel does mean literally " House of God "; but it is never used of the Temple, but only and always of the well-known town of Ephraim, one of the great centres of the Israelitish idolatrous worship set up by Jeroboam the son of Nebat.[2] Some commentators, with the Septuagint and some of the Jewish interpreters, have taken Bethel in the accusative, and have rendered the words, " When they (the Jews) sent to Bethel "; but no reason can be assigned for such a deputation being sent to Bethel, since the " priests of the House of Jehovah of Hosts," which all agree must mean the Temple, " and the prophets," whom the deputation was to consult, most
- ↑ The rendering "their men" in the Authorised and Revised Versions is not accurate according to the Massoretic text.
- ↑ mrr n 3 (" Beth Jehovah") is used altogether about two hundred and fiftynine times, and D-nSx rra (" Beth Klohim "), or D nSxn rva (" Beth ha-Elohim "), about fifty times in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Temple; but h* JV3 (" Bethel ") not once.
